TWD: Stranger Things
by hml1999
Summary: Homicide Daryl Dixon is in for it when he gets assigned to a new case. However, this case will be like no case he's ever inspected. He soon becomes attached to Beth Greene, who is a key point in his new case. Watch as they grow closer and a new threat comes back to haunt Daryl. I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD! EVENTUALLY BETHYL! :) RAITING MAY CHANGE!
1. New Case

"We don't get to be upset." Beth Greene, the youngest of the Greene sisters, tells her older sister, Maggie, as their mother's body is carried away in a casket covered in lily flowers.

"I know . . . Where's Daddy and Shawn?" Maggie responded as she opens her umbrella and makes her way down the steps of the church. Beth follows closely, careful not to get hit by the rain.

"Talking with Father Gabriel real fast . . . Maggie?"

"Yes, Beth?"

"We've all got jobs to do." Beth says, spotting her sister let a tear slide down her cheek. "That's what Daddy always says."

Maggie looks at her sister with a small smile. "I know."

"Listen," Glenn says on the other line of Homicide Cop, Daryl Dixon. "I'm just saying, you need to at least take a day off. You've been wrapped up in your work ever since you became a cop. Come to the bar with Maggie and I. Her step - mom just died and she could really use the night out."

Daryl grunted at the thought. Him? Who did Glenn think he was talking to?

Daryl was talking to one of his close friends on the phone while driving in his truck on the way home. "Glenn . . . No."

"Well," Glenn adds a tone of cockiness, "what if I told you that Maggie's sister was also coming along?"

"Glenn, I said no." Daryl said, a bit more forcefully. "Don't make me kick your ass."

Glenn laughs at his friend. "Daryl, please." He now begs. "This is the last favor I'll ask of you. Just one night, com'on?"

Daryl sighs, giving in. "Fine . . ."

"Thanks, man! You won't regret -"

Daryl hangs up. _Great_, he thinks. _There goes my chance to hunt . . . Damn._

He pulls into his driveway and sighs. He was home . . . If you really wanted to call it a home. It was a wooden house, which he built by himself before he became a cop. There were high ceilings and beams made of wood and everything smelled of smoke, due to his constant habit, and pine needles. It was two stories, and most people wondered why one of the greatest cops in the county lived out here by himself in this big old house. Some thought he should be married by now, well into his late twenties. He only became a cop for one reason, and he figured just about everyone knew what it was. Merle Dixon.

Merle Dixon was Daryl's older, trouble making, brother. He was always in juvenile schools and was always high. One day, Merle got into some deep shit with a murder and got life in prison. Daryl then decided he didn't want to be like that. He saw the look in the families eyes and pitied them. He didn't want anyone to suffer like that, especially if it was for his own family's stupid actions.

Daryl walked into his house and was greeted with a cat walking by his feet. He smiled slightly as the black puffball and picked it up. "Hey, boy." He smiled into the cat's head.

He had found Night when he was driving home from work late one night. The poor thing was skin and bones and, to be quite honest, Daryl was a cat person. He kissed the cat's head before letting it crawl out of his grasp and run off somewhere.

He walked into the living room, where a large tank with a turtle sat. "Hey, Anthony."

Daryl continues to walk up stairs and tries to look for something decent to wear. What the hell could he possibly wear to a bar and not look like a total redneck cop?

He finally finds a decent long sleeve shirt and black jeans. He slips on his boots and tries to comb his hair the best to his ability. He sighs and stares at his reflection in the mirror, when he hears a knock on the door. He quickly heads down the stairs and opens the door to see Glenn standing there.

"Hey, man." Glenn grins. His eyes looks him up and down. "You look . . . Good."

Daryl rolled his eyes and looked at his friend's attire. He was wearing a white shirt, jacket, and jeans. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

They drove off to Dale's Bar and walked in. The place was filled with the kind of people Daryl hated. They were drunk off their asses and they looked rich and snobby with fancy clothes and wads of money.

"There they are." Glenn says, spotting his girlfriend in a booth across the dance floor. Daryl took a deep breath before he proceeded to follow.

He almost stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of Maggie's sister. He felt his heart stop. She was absolutely stunning. Her blonde hair fell past her shoulders and her bright blue eyes seemed to lock with his. She wore a tight dress that complemented her curves and she was definitely the prettiest thing Daryl had ever seen around these parts.

He slides into the booth next to Glenn and watches as Glenn wraps an arm around Maggie. He felt so stupid here.

"So, how are you guys doing?" Glenn breaks the ice, referring to their mother's murder.

"We're just fine," Maggie downs a shot of liquor before speaking again, "I don't wanna think about it."

_Great, She's drinking away the pain . . ._ Daryl thinks. He knew all too well what that was like. His eyes trail off to the younger Greene sister and she looks away shyly.

"Oh!" Glenn says. "Daryl, this is Beth Greene. Beth, this is Daryl Dixon." He introduces. A waiter comes over and takes their orders of beer. Beth, surprisingly, didn't order anything to drink other than a water. Daryl wondered why. _Maybe she's pregnant. _He thinks. _No, that's not it. She can't be._

Daryl takes a sip of his beer and watches as Glenn tells a joke. Maggie, being more than drunk, laughs a little too loud for Daryl's liking. He cringes as Maggie belts out a high pitched laugh.

Beth clears her throat. "Glenn told us you were a cop?" Her voice is as sweet as honey and it catches him off guard that a girl like her would talk to a guy like him.

His blue eyes scan her face for any sign of laughter, but is baffled when he finds none. He takes a quick sip of his beer to wet his dry throat before speaking. "Yeah. And what about you?"

Beth's eyes brighten. "I'm a teacher at Kings County Elementary School."

"What subject do you teach?" Daryl questions, suddenly extremely interested in this girl.

She giggles. "Music."

"Music, huh?" Daryl laughs, feeling himself getting a little tipsy. He prayed to God he didn't do something completely stupid in front of this girl.

"Yeah." She smiles. Her smile fades when she hears a cringing throat sound that only came from her sister. Beth looks over and sees Maggie puking on the floor.

"Shit!" Glenn curses and quickly grabs Maggie by the shoulders and quickly rushes her out of the booth. "Sorry, guys. I got to get Maggie home before she hurls again. Daryl," He addresses his eyes to the cop. "Can you take Beth home?"

Daryl doesn't think, but just nods. The couple leave and Daryl and Beth stare at each other. "So . . . Tell me about you." Beth says, trying to lighten the mood. She felt a little worry flow through her about Maggie, but she knew that as long as she was with Glenn she'd be fine.

"What's there to tell?" Daryl shot back. He wasn't one for revealing his past, and he wasn't about to start now.

"Well . . . What made you become a cop?" She questions. Daryl's eyes grow dark and he takes another, long, drink from his beer bottle.

He stays silent and stares at her, waiting for her next question.

She looks down at her half full glass and gives a shy smile. Her phone screen phone lights up and she looks at the time. Her smile turns to a frown. "I gotta be home soon."

Daryl doesn't mean to, but he catches a glimpse of the ID on her phone. Some guy named Jimmy had texted her.

"Yeah. I'll give you a ride -"

"No!" Beth snaps. Daryl looks stunned at her. Beth hesitates before speaking and standing. "Just . . . No."

"Beth, ya ain't walking outside by yourself in the dark. I'm driving you home." Daryl tells her, standing up and looking down at her. Beth stares up at him and gives up, knowing there was no convincing him.

"Okay . . . Lets go." She says, taking the lead and walking outside and into the full parking lot. They hop into his truck and they descend down the pitch black road, the headlights as their only guide.

"Just tell me where to turn." Daryl says, breaking the incredibly awkward loud silents.

Beth was silent.

"Is it this Jimmy guy?" Daryl blurts out. As soon as the words leave his mouth, he regrets them.

"What?!" Beth shrieked, almost making Daryl lose control of the wheel. She turns to face him and he could already see this going downhill real fast. "You looked at my phone?!"

"No . . ." He lies, trying to keep his eye on the wheel.

"For your information, _Daryl Dixon_, _Jimmy_ happens to be a wonderful man who I'm in love with! Don't for one second think that he's doing anything to harm me . . ." Beth defends.

Daryl glances at her, knowing he caused that uproar. "I never said he harmed you . . ."

Beth's eyes widened and her breath catches in her throat. She turns and faces the road and crosses her arms over her chest, biting her lip nervously. "Turn here."

Daryl takes a right and they soon come to a parking lot of apartment buildings. Daryl turns off the engine. "I'm sorry." He apologizes, knowing he messed up.

Beth looks at him. "Well . . . I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

They stare at each other for a few seconds when Beth spots a door opening and realizes that Jimmy is standing on the apartment steps, waiting for her. "I better go."

"Yeah . . ." Daryl trails off.

"Thanks for the ride." She says as she hops out of the truck. She shuts the door quickly and runs into Jimmy's arms on the second floor of the apartment complex. Daryl couldn't see much through the windshield, just two black masses hugging each other for dear life, but he could already tell he didn't like this Jimmy guy.

Regardless, Daryl backs up and he makes his way back to his house where his cat and turtle would be waiting.

As he lays in bed, he can't get that blonde haired and blue eyed girl out of his mind. He doesn't know why, but something just stuck out about her unlike any other girl had.

Daryl could only ask one question to himself before sleep overtook him.

What was with Beth Greene?

The next morning, Daryl was awoken by the sound of his phone ringing. Night was asleep by his feet and meowed as he picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Daryl's voice was hoarse as he spoke.

"Daryl?" Daryl's long time friend, Rick Grimes', voice came through.

"Yeah?"

"Listen, we have a new case for you down at the office. Be here in twenty."

The call dropped. Daryl groaned and rolled over, shoving his face into his pillow. _Well this is just the perfect fuckin' day to work on a case._

He finally gets up and sees its ten o'clock in the morning. It was Saturday, one of his favorite days of the week as a kid. As he dressed, his mind wandered back to when he was a child in school. He absolutely hated it. He hated everything about his childhood and would gladly push it aside.

When his mind wondered off about school, he thought about Beth. He thought about how she was probably looking over some silly song to sing to kids right now, something like Mary Had A Little Lamb, or, The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He thought about how she would be with children and he thought about how she probably loved teaching.

He enters the office to see Rick and another employee at the station, Shane Walsh, looking over papers. Rick spots him and quickly walks over to him.

Daryl liked Rick. Rick was a good guy and was a good friend. Daryl even saw Rick bring his son, Carl, to work sometimes.

"I got the new case for you." He hands Daryl the papers and Daryl gladly takes them. Daryl places a cigarette in his mouth as he looks at the title of the case, _Greene_.

"Shit." He swore.

"Yeah," Rick agrees. "Carl's teacher . . . This was her mother."

So Beth Greene was Carl's teacher.

_Fuck . . . Now I have to go and ask the family questions. I hate this part. _Daryl groans.

It wasn't the fact that Daryl wasn't sociable, he had been on plenty of cases where he had to ask family's personal questions, but this was the Greene family. This family was related to Beth Greene, the same Greene Daryl couldn't seem to get off his mind lately, and Daryl hated the fact that he couldn't shake her from his mind.

"Alright," Daryl nods. "I'll get on it."

Daryl drives to the Greene Family Farm and takes a deep breath. He walks up the steps on knocks on the door. An old man with white hair and a white shirt and trousers pushed the screen door open.

"Can I help you, son?" The man asked.

Daryl wanted to yell at him and tell him he wasn't anyone's _son_, but he decided against it. Daryl took out his badge and showed it to the man.

"I'm Daryl Dixon." Daryl starts. "I understand your wife was murdered not a week ago?"

The man's eyes grow dark. "What about her?"

"I'm here to try and find out just who murdered her." Daryl tells him. The two men stare at each other.

"Alright." The man opens the door wider and lets Daryl in. "Hershel Greene." The two men shake hands and they sit on the living room couch.

Daryl takes out his notebook and pen and starts to ask questions. "Do you know anyone that might want to have killed your wife?"

"No." Hershel answered with no hesitation.

"No siblings, friends, or anyone that might have had a grudge against her?"

". . . No."

"Okay . . . Do you know what happened the night she died?"

Hershel leans forward. "I found her in . . . I was putting the animals in the barn the night that it happened. When I came back she was laying on the kitchen floor bleeding."

Daryl looks up from his notes and feels a hint of sadness hit him. This man lost his wife, and Daryl could see how much pain the poor guy must have been going through. Hershel didn't speak once as Daryl continued his questions, just nodded and shook his head and with each question his eyes came more sorrow filled.

When the questions ran out, and Hershel seemed drained, Daryl stood in the front door. "Hey . . ." He starts. "For what it's worth . . . I'm sorry for you loss."

Hershel looks confused for a second.

"I'll find the man who did this." Daryl tells him.

Just as Daryl was about to leave, Hershel places a hand on his shoulder. Daryl turns and looks at the old man. "Thank you."

Daryl just nods before heading back to his truck and driving off to ask some more questions. He wanted to scream when he saw who was next on the list to get questioned.

Beth Greene.

**Hi everyone! This is a new fanfiction and I hope you like it. :) I'd love to see some feedback and reviews and I hope you enjoyed.**

**Thanks! :D**


	2. Mrs Dixon

Daryl road up to the King County Apartments and cut the engine on his truck. _Calm on, Dixon. Stop being such a pussy._ He thought to himself as he saw how badly he was gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles chalk white.

He slowly walks up the steps and sees Beth's apartment. He goes to knock, but is stopped when he hears shouting from inside. He slowly reaches for his gun on his belt, which was hidden by his leather vest. His hand barely makes it to the handle when the apartment door swings open. He drops his hand as fast as he can and is faced with Jimmy.

Jimmy gives Daryl and mean glare. "Who are you?" His stare didn't frighten Daryl one bit, even if the kid was trying to be terrifying.

"Detective Dixon. I'm here to ask Beth Greene about the murder of her mother." Daryl says, his blue eyes growing cold at the frown Jimmy gave. Jimmy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame.

"Well, _Detective_," His voice is full of disgust. Daryl wanted to punch the kid in the jaw. "Beth isn't here right now."

"Do you know where I could find her, _sir_?" Daryl said through his teeth.

"She's working."

Daryl remembered Beth saying she worked at the elementary school last night. "Alright," Daryl turns to leave.

"You're not seriously thinking of going to go interrogate her with all those kids around are you?" Jimmy calls after Daryl as he gets into his truck. Daryl just starts the engine and drives off to the school, dreading it.

_Dumb ass kid_, Daryl says to himself as he drives on the road, trees surrounding him as he drives on. He had to admit, even that dumb ass kid had a point. Was he really going to have to ask questions about Beth's mother with all those kids around? Maybe he could get her alone and ask her. He couldn't wait though, the killer was out there and the longer he or she was there was more of a danger to the Greene family and anyone else.

He walks into the school building and to the front office. The woman at the front desk gives him a strange glare. "Can I help you?"

The detective looks at the woman's name tag. Michonne Harvard.

"Yeah. I need to talk to Miss Greene?" He holds out his badge and shows Michonne. Michonne nods and gives a nice smile. "She's on her lunch right now, I'll show you to her room."

Daryl follows Michonne as they walk down a hallway full of classrooms, some with children and others empty. "I don't see why Miss Greene would need questioning," Michonne glances over her shoulder at the cop. "She's one of our finest teachers, never misses a day of work and is never late. The kids love her."

Michonne stops in front of a class room and turns to Daryl. "Listen, Mr. Dixon. I don't know what this is about," She crosses her arms over her chest, "But Miss Greene is a sweet girl. She hasn't done anything wrong, I can tell you that. Hurt her . . . And lets just say I got a katana at home." She winks playfully as she teases Daryl. He gives her a small, very small, chuckle.

"Got it, Harvard."

Michonne opens the door and Daryl steps in. Beth is sitting at her desk eating a salad. Daryl could see children outside on a playground and Beth notices him instantly.

"Detective DIxon." She swallows a hard gulp of lettuce and tries to clean off her desk, which was scattered with sheet music and finger paintings, as quickly as she could. "Please, have a seat."

The only chair that wasn't messy or covered in glue was a tiny blue one that reminded Beth of the color of his eyes. He pulled it up and sat in front of the desk, very uncomfortably. He was at eye level with Beth, but it was still a terrible seat. Beth's cheeks were pink with embarrassment and she clears her throat.

"Sorry," she apologizes as she folds her hands together. "The kids were wild this morning."

Daryl doesn't say anything.

"What's this all about?" Beth asks, although she already had a feeling.

"Well," Daryl starts, "I was assigned the case of your mother's murder."

Beth's eyes form tears. Daryl doesn't mean to stare, but he can't help watch as she

chews on her perfectly perfect bottom lip. Daryl thought about what it would be like to kiss those lips - Whoah. Off topic.

"Yeah." Daryl says, the awkward tension growing in the air. He clears his throat before continuing. "I'm sorry about the whole thing."

Beth just gives a kind smile. "Well, what can you do . . ."

"I can try and find the person who did this . . . I've already talked to your dad . . . He

doesn't really know anything." Daryl tells the teacher.

He goes through the whole process of asking questions and again, nothing. He was starting to get no where when a loud bell rang in the empty room.

"Recess is over," Beth tells him as she stands up gracefully. "I'm sorry I couldn't answer all the questions. Do you think I could finish them soon though?"

The kids start to come in, laughing and screaming. Daryl doesn't know what makes him say this but he regrets it. "I can wait till you're done teaching."

Beth looks at him surprised and gives a soft smile. "Okay . . . You can just . . . Sit here. It's almost sing along time."

Daryl walks to the back corner of the room and leans against it, observing the class. The children all gather around Beth, sitting criss cross on the floor, and they look up at her as if she was an angel.

Beth puts her hands together and smiles. "Okay, class." Beth beams. "Today we have a special guest." Beth extends her arm out to Daryl as if on a game show. He could feel himself blush. "This is Mr. Dixon. Can we all say hi to Mr. Dixon?"

"Hi, Mr. Dixon!" The class says together. Daryl stands there frozen and Beth walks up to him, taking his hand in hers. She walks him to the front of the classroom. "Say hi, Daryl." She whispers.

"Hey . . ." Daryl says all too awkwardly.

The kids laugh at him and he feels his face getting red.

"Is he your husband?" A young girl asks. Beth and Daryl freeze. Beth gives a small nervous laugh.

"No, Julie." Beth says. "If he was my husband my last name would be Dixon. Than you'd call me Mrs. Dixon."

"Than why aren't you married?" Mary Sue asks.

Beth covers her eyes with embarrassment. "Because, we're not together."

"So you ain't in love?" Cassie asks.

_What's wrong with these damn kids?! Too much Twilight that's what._ Daryl can't help but think. _Like a damn romance novel or somethin' stupid._

"Okay!" Beth laughs. "Enough questions for today. It's sing along time."

Beth pulls out a acoustic guitar. "The wheels on the bus go round and round . . ."

By the time she's done singing, the children are all asleep in a peaceful nap.

Beth motions for Daryl to step outside where the playground was at. "Sorry about them." She tells him. "They're my youngest class . . . School's almost out though."

Daryl can't help but think how beautiful she looked with smudges of paint on her face and on the apron she wore. She even had red paint in her hair, but she still looked beautiful.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Daryl comments.

"When do I finish the question asking?"

"Uh -"

"How about your place?" Beth grins. Daryl's eyes widen as he stares at the youngest Green daughter.

"Beth -"

"Com'on. It won't hurt." Beth says.

"Alright . . . Might wanna get back to ya class." Daryl informs as the kids start to wake up. Beth rushes into the room and helps the children pack up for the day. Daryl takes one glance at Beth, surrounded by children with a bright glow and smile on her face, before he quietly leaves, thinking about tonight.

"I told you they were in love. See how he can't stop staring at her?" Cassie says to Mary Sue as they walk down the hallway.

"Mr. Dixon is like Miss Green's prince!" Mary Sue smiles. "She's his princess."

"Yeah. I bet you they just don't wanna tell us." Julie says.

"Why?" Mary Sue questions.

"Because, Miss Green doesn't wanna admit that she has cooties. Duh." Julie explains sassily. They walk to the car line and wait for their mother's to pick them up, fascinated with Miss Greene and Detective Dixon's 'love story.'

The knock on the front door of Daryl Dixon's house was the sound he had been afraid to hear ever since he had left the elementary school earlier that afternoon. The moon was out and the peaceful quiet rang out through the forest that surrounded the house.

Daryl opens the door to see a smiling Beth Greene standing there. "Hey." She smiles.

"Hi." His throat is tight and he wants to hit himself in the face for acting like this.

Beth was out of the school attire and into a light blue sundress and cowgirl boots. Her hair was down and Daryl couldn't breathe or think right looking at her.

Beth steps into the warm atmosphere and marvels at the place. "Wow!" She grins. "This is amazing. Did you build this?"

Daryl nods, kicking the door shut.

"Well, Mrs. Dixon must be very happy." Beth comments, a blush on her face.

"Huh?" Daryl says confused. _Mrs. Dixon?_

"Your wife." Beth says as she stops gazing at a nightstand. She turns to him. "You're married, right?"

Daryl just stares at her.

"Oh . . ." Beth gets the point and is utterly surprised. Why wasn't Daryl married? He was definitely something to look at, especially his arms - Off topic. He looked a few years older than Beth herself and she wondered why he lived out here by himself, alone.

"So . . . Questions?" She says as she quickly changes the subject. She sits on the brown leather couch and smile up at him. "I'm all ready. Shoot."

Daryl takes a seat next to her and the tension is even higher now. He asks her questions and even catches Beth staring at him a couple of times. He glances up from his final question and waits for her answer.

"No . . . I don't . . . I don't see why anyone would want to do this to my mom . . ." Beth sighs. "At least she's in Heaven now."

Daryl stares at the bright eyes girl as she looks down in a saddened manor. "You want a drink?"

Beth looks at him. "A drink?"

"Moonshine?"

Beth shakes her head. "I'm fine." She goes to stand up. "Jimmy should be expecting me home soon. I told him I saw at Maggie's so I better hurry home." She walks over to him and kisses his cheek before telling him goodnight.

Daryl nods and watches her as she walks into the night and to her car. He still doesn't move, the kiss burning on his skin.

_Mrs. Dixon . . ._ "Yeah . . ." Daryl shuts the door and walks up stairs where Night is resting on his bed.

"Meow!" The cat says, purring for his master. Daryl runs his hand through Night's fur and smiles down at the cat.

"You're stupid." Daryl laughs. He lays down, Night laying on his chest, and he stares at the ceiling.

Daryl couldn't take his mind about what those kids said in the class today. _Kids and their imaginations . . . _He thinks before he shuts his eyes and drifts to sleep.

Little did he know, those kids were actually a lot smarter than they'd seem.

**Hi everyone! :) Sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you enjoyed the little Bethyl moments and I'd love to see your reviews.**

**Thanks! :D**


	3. Demons

**This chapter deals with abuse. If this might trigger something please do not read.**

"Shit." Daryl cursed under his breath. The investigation of Mrs. Greene was now at a close, there were no leads to go off of and Daryl had questioned everyone that knew the woman. Nothing.

Daryl sat at his desk and stared at the paperwork in his hand. He hated when a trail went cold, and now that the case had gone a little personal with the Greene family, he hated it even more. Guilt slipped its way in as he thought about how he had promised them he'd catch the man who did this, but he knew he couldn't keep his promise.

He drives along the dirt road to go tell the families that the trail was dead and basically the station was giving up on the case. He decided Beth would be the first person he'd go to, her home being the closest to where he was anyway.

He walks up the same stairs to that same old apartment. It had been at least two weeks since he had seen Beth and he'd be lying if he said his nerves weren't shot to the sky. He hesitates and hears yelling, just like the day he had talked to Jimmy. The only problem was, he heard Beth screaming along with Jimmy in a huge fight, the other fight was probably just something on tv.

Daryl didn't hesitate when he heard Beth scream in agony before he kicked open the door. Jimmy looked up from where he hovered over Beth, a bloody fist visibly shown. Jimmy was standing over a badly beaten Beth.

"What the hell -"

Daryl's fist collided with Jimmy's nose, making his nose bleed. Blood splattered on the floor and Beth's scream broke out through the room. Daryl couldn't control himself as his fist and Jimmy's face collided over and over again.

"Daryl! Daryl, stop!" Beth pleaded, her arms gripping his large biceps in an attempt to not kill Jimmy. "Daryl!"

Daryl's numb hand dripped blood as he slowly stepped back, eyes red and anger out of control, and he looked at the angel known as Beth. "B - Beth . . . He . . ." He wouldn't dare look at her beaten face, retreating his eyes to the floor.

At the station, Daryl brought Beth in after she was checked up at the hospital. Daryl sat at his desk with Beth close to his side. He still couldn't bring himself to look at hurt, and her eyes were always on the floor so it seemed she didn't want to do much of anything either.

"Well," Rick walks up to Beth and Daryl. Daryl looks at his friend and they share a look of understanding. Rick takes a seat across Daryl's desk and sighs. "Beth I am truly sorry for what happened to you." Rick starts. "But I want you to know that we will never let that man get near you again."

Beth looks at Rick, but is silent. Daryl and her both listen as Rick continues to speak. "Now, we can't assure you that he won't stay away, even if you did file a restraining order, so we've decided to place you in a place he would never find you at."

"Okay . . . So what does that mean, I can't see my family or anything?" Beth's voice sounds broken and Daryl swallows hard when he hears it.

"No," Rick tells. "It just means that we're gonna put you in special protection. And we've got the perfect person for that job."

Rick's eyes drift to Daryl. "Miss Greene here will be staying with you, Daryl."

Daryl looks at Rick in disbelief. Beth was much the same. Finally, Daryl sighs and stands up , grabbing his keys. "Alright. How long?"

"At least until we can press charges and he can get to court." Rick answers. Beth stands nervously and looks at Daryl. "It won't be long."

Daryl nods and turns to Beth. "Alright. Let's go."

Beth follows Daryl out to the parking lot where his truck waited. She climbed into the passengers seat and Daryl gripped the steering wheel tightly.

The drive was a big mess of awkward tension and loud silents. When they pulled into his driveway, Daryl lead the way and Beth, even though having had been there before, felt different and uneasy.

Beth looked around the living room and at Daryl. "Thank you for letting me stay with you." She thanks him. Daryl was leaning against the couch and had his arms crossed over his chest. His bangs fell in front of his eyes and Beth couldn't help but wanted to get a real good look at them.

Daryl just shrugged. "Don't mind much."

"But still . . ." Beth takes a step closer to the cop and slowly reaches up and pushes his bangs out of his eyes. Daryl held his breath and he could feel his ears and the back of his neck getting hot. "You saved my life, Daryl Dixon. I can't thank you enough."

The two share a close stare, eyes locked on each other. Their moment is quickly interrupted when Beth feels something nudge her foot. Beth looks down and sees a black cat rubbing its head against her boot.

"Aw!" Beth cooes as she goes to pick the cat up. She cradles the puffball in her arms and a smile widens on her face. She looks at his collar and smiles. "Hello, Night."

Beth looks at Daryl. "Is he yours?"

Daryl just nods and he watches the girl as she cradles the cat and Night purrs against her. Beth starts to walk around the living room and Daryl watches her with every step he takes. Beth sets down Night, the cat runs off to who knows where, and she peeks into the tank.

"You have a pet turtle?" She looks at the shell covered animal and then to Daryl, who is now walking to her.

"Yeah." Daryl's answer is simple.

"What's his name?"

"Anthony."

Beth nods and stands in front of the man. She places her hands on her hips and gives a huge smile. "So," Her voice is full of delight, "What do you want me to make for dinner since I'm going to be staying for a while?"

Daryl was taken off guard. No one had ever asked to cook for him or anything in that matter. He had always done things for himself, but now he had Beth to consider too. This was her home, at least for now.

He shrugs and Beth just rolls her eyes. "C'mon, Daryl. There has to be something' that ya like. What sparks your interest?"

"Huh?"

"Your interests. What do you like and not like?"

Daryl just shrugs again. Beth sighs. "Alright, well, what's one food you like?"

"Pigs feet."

Beth nods slowly. "Pigs feet . . . Okay." She smiles at the new task and walks off to the kitchen. "I can cook for you, right?"

Daryl nods slowly and follows the teacher. He leans against the doorframe and watches as she starts to pull out pots and pans and starts to get to work.

His mind wonders off to how on earth she could be like this after this morning. She seemed like nothing had happened at all, like her face wasn't badly bruised and her lips wasn't busted, and like she wasn't being forced to live with some redneck cop in the middle of the woods. Daryl did have to admit though, even though Beth had purple and blue marks on her body and face she was still as beautiful as ever. She hums a song as she cooks and she ties her hair back in a ponytail, revealing her neck and part of her shoulder. Daryl can't take his eyes off a tattoo that laid almost on her shoulder.

The tattoo was of a heart with a music note in it.

"Tattoo?" Daryl's voice made Beth stop in her tracks and she turns to him, with a pot full of water in her hands.

"What?" It was her turn to be taken off guard.

"You have a tattoo, Beth." Daryl can't help the smirk that tugs at his lips.

"Uh . . ." Beth swallows and blinks a couple of times before she opens her mouth to speak. "How . . . How'd you figure that out?"

"Your shoulder." Daryl points and Beth blushes.

"Does it look bad?"

"No. It's . . . Uh . . ." Daryl trails off to try and find the right words. "Good." He wanted to hit himself for being so stupid at the comment. He looks to Beth in a search of any anger written on her face. He found none.

Beth and Daryl sat at the kitchen table with each a plate full of pigs feet. It was, strangely, a comfortable silence. However, every time Daryl looked at Beth she'd dig right back into her food. He slowly reaches and takes a slow sip of his glass of waters. He sets it down and stares at her.

"Ya okay?" His voice makes her head shoot up.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She smiles. "Just thinkin' of what Daddy will say when he finds out I'm staying with one of the best cops in King County."

Daryl looks down embarrassed and then looks at her again. "I don't want any trouble, Beth."

"I know." Beth takes a bite off her fork and then looks at Daryl once more. "_Hopefully_, we won't get any."

Daryl couldn't figure out what she meant by that. Once they had finished their meal and the pets were fed, Daryl and Beth headed up stairs.

There was one guest bedroom in the whole house and it hadn't been touched since Daryl built this place. There was queen sized bed that rested against the far wall. A whole wall of windows lined the right far wall, revealing the woods and starlite night, and there was a walk in closet waiting to have clothes fill it.

Beth walked into the room. "Wow!" She flopped onto the white comforter and started to laugh at the softness and cloud like feel it had. "This room is amazing!"

Daryl feels a small smile form and he turns to his bedroom. He searched through his clothes and found one of his flannel shirts and some shorts in one of his drawers. He came back and Beth was looking out the window.

Daryl cleared his throat and Beth turns. His hand is extended and she slowly takes the clothes, hesitating. Daryl turns back and starts to walk out the door. "Daryl," her voice stops him. He turns slowly. "Goodnight."

He nods and descends down to his room, shutting the door slowly.

"AH!" Beth's agonizing screams jerk Daryl out of his sleep. He shoots up and jumps out of bed.

"Beth?!" He yells and opens the bedroom door. He sees Beth sitting up in bed with tears down her face.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry. It was just a nightmare." She gasps. Daryl just stands there and watches as the young beauty slowly starts to break down in a heap of tears. He walks over to her and sits on the bed. He pulls her close to his chest and lets her sob into his chest.

"I'm disgusting!" She cries. "Make them go away."

Daryl swallows and slowly strokes her hair as she pleads more. "I just want them to go away. Daryl, make them go away."

He places a small kiss to her forehead and waits until Beth's breathing slows and deepens. He glances down at the girl and feels his heart strings tug tightly.

She truly was an angel, even when she slept.

If Beth wanted her demons gone, Daryl was willing to help her. And maybe, just maybe, she could release his demons too.

Beth's eyes flutter open to sunlight shining through the windows. She looks up and sees Daryl Dixon, the Daryl Dixon, laying next to her in a peaceful sleep. He features were softer and they made him look younger.

Beth couldn't help but smile and she felt a warm sensation overwhelm her body. She slips out of bed and heads out the door.

By the time Daryl awakes, it's noon. He hadn't had a good sleep since .. . Forever really. He looks to see if Beth is asleep, but what he gets is a note that reads:

Dear Daryl,

I went to see my dad. If you need to reach me you know how to get to his house. I'll be back soon and breakfast is on the table. - Beth

P.S. I made your lunch for work. Have a great day. :)

Daryl can't help but smile and let out a loud sigh as he lays his forehead against the cloud like pillows.

_She's gonna be the death of me_. He thinks as Night slowly crawls onto the bed and lays where Beth had a few hours ago.

**Hi everyone. :) So this is a new story and I hope you are enjoying so far. :) Please leave a review and let me know what you thnk. Thanks so much :)**


	4. It Was Love

"Ya alright?" Daryl calls to Beth as he leans against the bathroom door. Beth had been sick for a couple of weeks now and whatever she had wasn't letting up.

"I'm f -" She was cut out by another part of her breakfast coming up. Daryl cringed as she heard her moan in agonizing pain. He slowly leans his head back and stares at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was going on.

Beth had quit her job at the school so she couldn't have gotten it from a child. She had been staying in the house more than she should so maybe she just needed fresh air . . . No, that couldn't be it. Daryl hadn't been sick the whole time Beth had been here. When Beth went to do see her dad about two weeks ago and told him she was living with him she hadn't mentioned anything about anyone being sick. What was making her like this?

His thought are interrupted when he hears a toilet flushing. The door slowly opens and Daryl turns to look at Beth. "Sorry." She apologizes.

Daryl takes a step back and looks at her. "Beth . . . I think you need to go to the doctor."

"What?" Beth becomes panicked. "I can't! I hate the doctors!"

Beth starts to make her way down the hallway, Daryl quickly followed after her. She hurried through the kitchen and started to pull things out for lunch. Daryl leans against the wall and sighs. "Beth," Daryl says. "I'll go with ya if ya want. Just want ya to be okay."

Beth stops and looks at Daryl. "Okay . . ."

Beth and Daryl waited in the waiting room of Grady Memorial Hospital. Everyone kept staring at the pairin awe. Beth didn't seem to notice because she was flipping through an old magazine, but Daryl did.

"Are you two together?" An old woman asks Beth. Beth glances up from her magazine and looks at Daryl. They hadn't thought anyone would think they were together. They knew they were living together, but to think they were more than just friends sounded . . . Comfortable in a way. Jimmy wouldn't dare get close to Daryl after what he did to him,so why not scare him even more if he found out Beth and him were 'together?'

"Oh -"

"Yeah." Daryl interrupts Beth. "We are."

The woman nods. "I see . . ."

"Beth?" A nurse called in. Beth and Daryl stood up and walked back into the office. "Hi, Beth. I'm nurse Anne." She smiles. She turns to Daryl. "You are?"

"Um . . . Her boyfriend." Daryl lies, but he secretly liked the new title.

"Well, we'll get you all set up." She leads them to a room where she starts to ask Beth all sorts of weird questions. Finally, Anne speaks. "Well, we're going to have to have an ultrasound to see if there's anything wrong with your stomach if you've been puking this much."

Then she leaves and Daryl and Beth are left alone so Beth can change into a nightgown. Daryl was about to leave when she asked, "What do you think it could be?"

Daryl turns to the wall as he hears her undress and slip on the gown.

Daryl shrugs. "I don't know. I just want you to be okay."

Beth blushes at that. Daryl really did care about her, and she cared about him. She didn't want to think about what might happen if she'd have to leave him once Jimmy was locked up.

"Alright, are we ready?" Beth nods and the couple are lead to a room. Beth lays on a bed and waits for Anne. Daryl sits in a chair next to Beth and Beth grasps his hand tightly. This time another doctor comes in. "Hi, I'm Doctor Edwards." He smiles.

Anne leaves the room and Dr. Edwards looks at Daryl. "Are you her husband?"

"Boyfriend." Daryl corrected.

"Alright . . . This is going to be cold Beth." Dr. Edwards had Beth lift her shirt up to reveal her stomach. He applies a clear gel to her stomach and they all look towards the screen.

"What's making her sick?" Daryl asks, his voice trembling.

Dr. Edwards is silent and looks at the screen a minute. "Well, um . . . A baby."

The room completely stops and Daryl's eyes go wide. "W - What?" Beth gulps, trying not to faint.

"Congratulations, Beth! You're having a baby." Dr. Edwards says. Daryl swallows and his face is completely poker faced.

"H - Huh?" Daryl only managed.

"I take it this wasn't a planned pregnancy?" Dr. Edwards asks.

Beth shakes her head and waits for Dr. Edwards to give them more information. "Well," He begins. "It looks like you're about a month along. If you look at the screen you can see the baby right here."

Beth looks closely and tears form in her eyes. She was going to have a baby. An actual living thing. Daryl looked at the screen and then Beth. He can't help but lean over and press a kiss to her cheek. "Ya alright?"

Beth nods and covers her hand with her mouth. "I'm going to be a mom . . ."

"Yeah . . . You are." Daryl can't help but smile at seeing how happy Beth is.

On the drive home, Daryl and Beth are silent as Beth stares at the pictures. She was studying them closely.

It was nightfall by the time they got back and Beth was standing out a window, looking out into the trees. Daryl had just finished dinner, something that would help keep the puking to a minimum, and he walked into the room.

"Beth?" His voice is concerned and she turns to see him.

"Oh . . . Hey." She smiles, but then frowns. "What is it?"

"Um . . . Just wanting to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

She takes a step closer and now they're face to face. "The baby's Jimmy's." She answers his silent question as she places her hands over her stomach. "But . . . Daryl . . . I don't want this to change anything." He was silent. "I don't want you to think that just because this baby is Jimmy's . . . Means that I don't want it. I used to love Jimmy . . . One night I didn't want to do something and he forced me into doing something . . . But that doesn't mean I don't want this baby. I love it already and I'm keeping it. I'm just scared that Jimmy might find out and it ends badly."

"No." Daryl speaks. "I'm not going to let that happen." Beth stares up at him, nerves rushing through her. Daryl steps closer. "This baby is Jimmy's, and I bet you think I'm mad about it for some bullshit reason, I'm not. If you think you'll be some kind of burden or something, don't. If ya think ya gotta leave, you ain't gotta. I want you to stay."

"Stay?"

"Stay. This baby and you are my responsibility and I'll be damned if Jimmy gets close to you, understand? He ain't gettin' near ya."

Beth smiles and then suddenly her arms around his torso and she's hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

Daryl nods and they make their way down to the kitchen where dinner waited. "Hurry up." Daryl tells her as Beth moves slowly.

"I'm going' as fast as I can."

"Forget that." Daryl bends down and sweeps Beth into his arms. She lets out a laugh and Daryl kicks the door open. He sets her down at the kitchen table and he takes a seat across from her.

"Well . . . This looks great." Beth smiles as she sees a plate of food waiting to be devoured.

"Thanks." They start to eat and Beth notices that candles are lighting up the room, giving a warm glow to everything.

"Daryl?" She sets down her fork for a minute and looks at the man across from her.

"Hm?"

"Why did you keep telling everyone we were boyfriend and girlfriend at the doctor's today?"

Daryl stops eating and looks at the girl. He shrugs, not wanting to admit it.

"Com'on, Daryl Dixon . . . Why?"

Daryl shrugs again. "You know." He takes a huge bite full of food and Beth looks at him.

"Daryl . . . Why would you say those things?"

Daryl stops eating and looks at Beth, licking his lips and then just staring at her.

"Oh . . ." She says when she realizes the reason.

Beth and Daryl lay in bed after dinner that night. They had started to share the same room ever since Beth had seemed to be doing better with him there. She didn't have nightmares anymore, and Daryl was happy about that.

Beth laid with Daryl, his arms wrapped around her, and she had her hands on her stomach. "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know . . ."

"When are we going to tell everyone? Do we tell them it's Jimmy's or do we say it's ours?"

Daryl would love more than anything to say that he and Beth were having a baby, but he knew that wouldn't happen. "Well, you've been livin' with me a few weeks. We haven't done anythin' and we haven't lived together long enough for us to do it. People will know that it's Jimmy's . . ."

Daryl would be lying if he said he didn't hate Jimmy. Boy, did he hate him. If he so much as looked at Beth then they'd have problems.

"You're right . . ." Beth sighs. Night jumps onto the bed and Beth laughs. Night rubs its head against Beth's stomach and Beth grins. "Do you know there's a baby in there?" She laughs. She looks up at Daryl. "Just think. When the baby comes he or she will be chasing around Night all over the place once they can walk. Can't you picture it?

Daryl looks down at the girl and smiles. He didn't know what this feeling was. He couldn't describe it because he never had it before.

"Yeah . . ." He tells her. He kisses her head and tightens his grip around her waist as Night makes its bed at the foot of the bed. "We should get some sleep."

Beth nods and snuggles closer to Daryl.

As he watches her sleep, he realizes the feeling.

Love. It was love.

**Hi everyone. :) So here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review and let me know what you think, if you want.**

**Thanks! :)**


	5. To The Moon And Back

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER DEALS WITH CHILD ABUSE. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS MAY CAUSE TRIGGERS. **

"You seem . . . Different." Rick observed as Daryl shuffled a stack of files in his hands at his desk. Daryl didn't respond as all of his attention was focused on the files. Rick clears his throat. "Daryl?"

"Huh?" Daryl snaps out of the strong concentration and looks towards his friends.

"You alright?"

Daryl nods slowly and Rick rolls his eyes. He sits on the corner of Daryl's desk and looks at him. "Beth's pregnant Daryl. You're taking on the role of the baby's father . . . . Are you sure you're okay?"

Daryl nods and looks at the clock on the wall. "Gotta be." He slips on his jacket and grabs his keys. "Gotta go pick up Beth from Hershel's."

Rick nods. "Tell 'er the Grimes family said hi."

Daryl nods and was out the door within a flash.

Beth sat on the couch at the Greene family farm. She could just feel knots twisting in her stomach as she tries to think of a way to tell her family that she was having a baby. She could only think of what her father would do. She had promised Daryl she would tell them, but she just couldn't find the right time and now she was just ready to run and hide.

"Beth?" Maggie asks as she enters the room. "Why are you in here all alone?"

"Oh . . ." Beth hesitates and then gulps slowly. "C - Could you go get Daddy?"

Maggie gives her baby sister a confused look and turns, but is stopped when Hershel enters the room. "Hi, girls. Everythin' okay?"

Beth stands slowly. "D - Daddy . . . Maggie . . ." Her knees start to shake beneath her and she could see Glenn leaning up against the door frame, witnessing the scene about to unfold. "You might want to sit down."

Hershel and Maggie sit on the couch across from Beth, while Glenn takes a sit on the arm of the couch, and Beth places her arms on her tiny, almost unnoticeable, baby bump.

"I am . . . ." Beth chokes on the words and finally spits out that one word. "Pregnant."

Beth's family is completely poker faced and footsteps could be heard entering the living room. Beth looks and sees Daryl standing there. Hershel's head shoots to the cop and shoots up from his seat. "Did he -"

"No! Daddy he's not -"

"Bethany Greene, tell me the truth!" Hershel's voice is loud and Daryl just stands there.

Beth scoots over to Daryl and stands by him and hesitates. Daryl puts on arm around her waist in reassurance.

Maggie tries to stand and clears her throat. "Daddy -"

"Maggie, let her answer." Hershel stares at Daryl and Beth and Beth feels fear strike her.

"Daryl isn't the father . . . But . . . He's letting me stay with him." Beth says. "The baby and I can be safe -"

"Than who's the father?" Glenn speaks up.

Beth looks at the ground. "Jimmy . . ." Daryl's holds a little tighter as he sees a tear fall down her face.

Hershel's face goes white. "So . . . You plan on gettin' married than or somethin'?"

"Hershel," Daryl speaks "I can take care of Beth and this baby, even if I'm not the kid's dad. I _want _to take care of Beth and I _want _this baby_._" Beth looks slowly looks up at him, showing she had been crying slightly. "I want her to stay with me."

Hershel looks at Daryl. "Follow me." He turns and walks up the stairs. Daryl looks at Beth for some kind of silent answer, to which she nods. Daryl descends up the stairs after Beth's father.

He finds him sitting on Beth's bed in her bedroom. The bedroom was simple and clean, just like a girls room usually was. "Have a seat." Hershels pats the seat next to him and Daryl takes his place next to him.

"You really care about Bethy, don't you?"

Daryl nods and Hershel looks at him. "Finding out she's pregnant is a shock . . " Daryl stays silent. "So . . . She's going to stay with you . . ."

Daryl stared at the window just across from them and listened as Hershel had this conversation.

"Are you sure you're ready to take care of a baby?" The question was simple and Daryl didn't know how to answer this. "Better yet, why are you doing this? You don't have to take care of Beth no more. Jimmy's locked away and she's safe with us, her _family._"

Daryl looks down at the floor and than to Hershel. "She's my family too. Her and the baby. They're my family, and I'm going to do everything I can to protect her. I'm doing this because . . ." Daryl trails off and struggles with the words.

Hershel than cracks a smile. "I get it now . . . You're willing to risk your life to protect the people you care about, even if they aren't yours. I guess that comes with being a cop . . . But now a days when you choose something you can only choose what you're risking it for. You're risking everything you have for my daughter and this baby." Daryl seemed a bit taken back by how Hershel somehow could put the words together into what Daryl couldn't. Hershel pats Daryl on the back. "I'm glad she has you."

Hershel stands and then leaves the room. Daryl lets out a loud breath and follows him. Beth is sitting on the couch with Maggie and Glenn, having a conversation about something. When Beth turns to see Hershel and Daryl walk into the living room, she rushes to Daryl's side.

"He wasn't too hard on you, was he?" She whispers. Daryl shakes his head and wraps his arms around Beth in an embrace.

Maggie and Glenn stand looking at the pair. Hershel leaves the room to go some place unknown and Glenn smiles. "Well, you two do make a good pair."

Beth and Daryl walk around town in search of new baby things. Beth insisted they'd go after telling her family. "So . . . First we need books!" Beth grins.

"Books?" Daryl questions. "Why?"

"You know," Beth smiles. "For names and what to expect."

Daryl didn't say anything else, instead he let her drag him to the King County book store. It seemed like everyone in town was there, buying books. Daryl knew the holidays were coming up, but he didn't know that there would be so many people buying _books. _

Daryl watched as Beth skimmed the shelves and started to grab all sorts of baby books. Some of the titles were _Baby 101,_ and another said, _101 Baby Names, _and, _The First Weeks. _Daryl got lost in all the looking and saw a book that caught his attention, _How to Deal with Child Abuse_. He looked at Beth, who was flipping through the pages of another book, and then quickly grabbed the book. He couldn't let her know about his childhood, she would think that he's disgusting and would in no way let him raise their - _Her _baby.

He hid it behind his back as he made his way to Beth. "Ready?" She smiles up at him. He nods and they make their way to the register. "Why don't you go wait in the car? I'll pay."

"You sure?" Beth looks at him and Daryl nods.

"It'll only be a sec."

Beth nods slowly and walks out of the store. Daryl turns to the cashier. "What's this doing here?" The cashier is confused by the book Daryl had picked. He admitted, it looked weird being in a stack of all those baby books, but he didn't care what the cashier thought. He pulled out his wallet and handed her the cash. He quickly takes the bags and heads out and into the car where Beth waited.

"So, where to next?" Beth smiles.

"Home?"

"Home."

The next morning, Beth wakes up alone in bed. She frowns. Daryl was at work and she was left with nothing to do. She sits up and stretches. Her white tank top slowly rises off of her stomach a little bit and she smiles. Just seeing her stomach a bit bigger made her heart leap. She was going to be a mom, and Daryl was going to be a father. They were going to be a real family.

Beth starts her day off like usual, showering and then heading downstairs to make breakfast. She hated how Daryl wasn't there to share these nice quiet mornings with her, but she knew that he had a job to do. Everyone had jobs to do, and right now her job was to help around the house and start the journey to being a mother.

As she sat and ate her eggs, pickles, ketchup, bacon, and peach filled breakfast burrito, she slowly stopped chewing. _These cravings are getting way out of hand_, she thinks. She places a hand on her tummy and smiles. "Hi, little baby. You're making Mommy eat a lot of weird things." She giggles.

She starts to clean and is preparing dinner when a strange thought occurred to her.

_Daryl's been acting strange ever since we came home from the bookstore yesterday_,

her thoughts wandered off to a more serious thing. She loved - Where did that come from? Beth feels her face heat up at the thought. She loved Daryl . . .

She shakes her head slowly. _Stop . . . He doesn't like you back. How could he? You spring a baby on him and he's forced to protect you all in a couple of weeks . . . I do worry about him though. He has been acting strange . . . Maybe I can talk to him today when he gets home from work._

She puts her plate in the sink and walks up the stairs. The small girl looks at a clock on the wall anxiously and sees that Daryl should be on his way home. The night was no longer young and she felt a wave of tired hits her. She couldn't sleep though, she needed to wait for Daryl. It felt wrong sleeping without him.

She enters her and Daryl's bedroom and smiles slowly. Their bedroom. It just sounded right. This was their home.

She searches through the bag from the book store that was filled with baby books, and then she stops when she comes to a strange book. She didn't remember buying this book.

_IT must be a mistake . . . Unless - No. Why would Daryl need this . . . Oh no. _Beth swallows. How could she have been so blind? She only wished she'd known sooner.

She stares at the cover and slowly sits on the bed. She puts her hand over her mouth and lets a couple of tears fall. The man she loved . . . Daryl . . .

"Beth! I'm home!" Daryl's voice rings out through the house. Beth freezes and she hears him enter the room. "What're you doin' in here?"

Beth lips trembles and she turns. She holds up the book and Daryl's eyes widened. "Daryl . . . What is this?" Her voice is quiet. Daryl reaches for the book, but Beth steps back. "What. Is. This. Daryl."

Daryl swallows. "That ain't none of yer business -"

"To hell it isn't!" Beth takes him off guard. He stands there looking at her. "Did you get this book or did it end up getting lost in our stuff by accident -"

"Stop -"

"No!" Beth's voice is weak and she has tears down her face. "If you got this . . . And something like this happened to you I want you to tell me! I want you to tell me if something is wrong! I want you to tell me if something is hurting you! I want you to let me know -"

"Stop!" Daryl's voice is loud and now Beth and him were face to face, only a few feet apart. "I don't need to tell you anything!"

"Screw that! You don't get it!"

"NO! You don't get it! No one cares about me! No one has and no one will!"

"You don't know that!"

"Might as well not care because when I die no one will give two thoughts about me!"

"I will!" Daryl stares at her as tears fall down her face. "I care about you! That's why I want you to tell me these things!"

Darryl turns and starts to walk away. "Lies." He mumbles.

Beth struggles to get the words out, but she finally does. "Daryl! Please!"

Daryl stops in his tracks and turns to her. Beth swallows and looks at the ground. He steps forward to her and looks at her. "That's my book . . ." He whispers.

Beth looks up at him. "I know . . ."

They both stay silent until Beth wraps her arms around Daryl. "Daryl . . . I care." She feels something wet hit the top of her head and sees that he was crying. "D - Daryl -"

He grabs the back of her head and leans it against his shoulder, a little too hard, and rests his forehead against her scalp. He lets out childish like sobs and he felt stupid crying like this. He was a Dixon, and Dixons don't cry. He felt Beth hug him tighter and he ran his fingers through her hair.

"It's okay . . . I'm here." Beth whispers. "We're okay. The baby's okay . . ." What she says next would stay with him forever. "We care about you, Daryl Dixon, and this baby is going to be so happy that you're its father. I'm happy that you're going to be its father. I love you, Daryl Dixon."

Daryl pulls back to look at Beth and she looks calm and ready for any kind of answer. He was never good at this relationship shit. He was never good with girls at all, period. Yet, here was this beautiful angel standing in front of him, telling him that she loved him. He couldn't bring himself to say it, instead he leaned down and kissed her.

The kiss is needy and longing. His brain doesn't know what to do, and yet he's kissing her and becoming light headed. He's pouring all of the love he has for her into the kiss. Yes, they've only known each other for a short while, but he'd be damned if he let her get away from him. Her hands are pressed against his chest and his hands are in her hair. When he pulls back, both a gasping for air.

Beth smiles widely and Daryl feels the corners of his mouth twitch up. "You're a great kisser, Daryl Dixon." She teases. Her smile slowly frowns and her face becomes more serious. "Daryl . . . Do you want to talk about the book . . . I mean, I want you to talk to me if it's a problem. Please?"

Daryl looks at her and then walks over to their bed. He slowly starts to unbutton his shirt, and Beth felt a hot wave of fire wash over her. She stares at his tones chest and the v in his hips. His shirt slowly falls to the floor and Daryl is left there in his jeans. "Don't run."

"Run?" Beth says confused. "Why would I -"

Daryl turns and reveals the hidden past. Beth freezes where she stands and feels tears come to her eyes. Long, deep, scars mark Daryl's back in the pale moonlight. She slowly walks behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. "Daryl . . . Who did this?"

Daryl's voice is soft. "My son of a bitch dad . . ." He walks out of her grip and lays on their bed on his stomach. He rested his head on his arms and sighs. Beth crawls next to him and he looks at her. "He was a dumbass . . ."

Beth doesn't think. She leans over and presses and kiss to the longest scar and feels Daryl tence under the gentle touch. She does this with every scar and soon the two are left talking about his childhood and how life was for him. She comforted him and told him how much she loved him. "You're worth something," and, "You're going to be a better father than yours ever was," were just a few of her words. Soon, they lay in their bed, dinner forgotten, and just holding each other.

"I love you , Beth Greene." Daryl's voice is quiet.

"I love you too." She smiles lazily and tiredly. "To the moon and back . . ."

**Hi everyone! :) I hope you enjoyed and I'm sorry it's taking me so long to actually update. I really feel I messed up on this chapter a lot with the emotion and how Daryl acts. I'm telling you, I stink at this sort of thing. Hehe. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoyed.**

**Thanks!**

**P.S. Have A Great Christmas :) I'll try to update sooner.**


End file.
